Combined air pump and cushion.



B. W. SMITH.

COMBINED AIR PUMP AND CUSHION.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, 1910.

Patented July 18, 1911.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN W. SMITH, OE MON'I'PELIER, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR ONE-HALF 10 THOMASC. NEAL, F MONTPELIER, INDIANA.

COMBINED AIR PUMP AND CUSHION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 3, 1910. Serial No. 541,795.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN W. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Montpelier, in the county of Blackford and State of Indiana,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combined Air Pumps andCushions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined air pump and cushion especiallyadapted to be used in connection with motor vehicles for compressing airin a storage tank, forming a cushion for the springs of the same Wherebythe shock will be absorbed and at the same time air compressed.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device which can beeasily and-quickly attached to the ordinary elliptical springs used onmotor vehicles for supportingthe body whereby the shock on. the springscaused by traveling over rough roads will be absorbed by the device insuch a manner that air wiil be compressed at the same time in a storagetank which can be used for blowing up the tires and the like.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device which issoconnected to the elliptical spring that thesame will be out of the wayso that alldanger of the same becoming broken is prevented.

Another object of 'my invention is to provide a device in which thecompression. of the springs operates a piston within a pump so as tocompress a certain amount of air which is forced into a storage tank.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means for allowingthe piston rod to move slightly before the piston is operated so thatwhen the springs are compressed only slightly the shock will be 'ab- 7sorbed by a coil spring carried by the piston.

Another object of my invention is to provide 'a' combined air pump andair cushion in which a pair of levers are employed which are connectedto the respective spring sections of an elliptical spring in such amanner that when the springs are compressed the piston will be forcedforwardly into an air or pump chamber and when expanded will be drawnoutwardly. v

With these various objects in view, my invention consists in the novelfeatures of construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter fully ,described and pointed out in'the claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure ljis a sideelevation of my improved air pump and air cushion showing the sameattached to an elliptical s ring used in connection with a motorvehicle. Fig. 2 is'a longitudinal verticalsection. Fig. ,3 is atransverse section taken on theline 3-3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is asection taken on the line 44'of Fig. 1.

In carrying out my improved invention, I employ a pump cylinder A whichis provided with a closed end B having an apertured ear B extendingtherefrom which is adapted to be mounted on the connecting bolt C of anelliptic spring C which may be of any of the ordinary constructions ofsprings now in ,use in connection with motor vehicles, and the like. Thecylinder is ,Patented July 18, 1911.

provided with an open end B and has an air inlet B formed in its sidethrough which air is adapted to pass so that when the piston compressingthe airpasses said air inlet it will be closed in order that the air inthe end of the cylinder can be compressed and forced outwardly as willbe hereinafter fully described. A -threaded bore B is formed in the sideof the cylinder adjacent its-closed end in which is secured the nipole Dof avalve casing D and is provided with a valve seat D in which ismounted a ball valve D forming a check valve so that the pressure 0f airwill raise the ball valve off of the seat and allow the air to passthrough the valve casing. Connected to the valve casing is a pipe Ewhich leads to a suitable storage tank, not shown, 1n which the aircompressed by the pump is adapted to be stored to be used for inflatingtires and the like on motor vehicles.

Slidably mounted within the-pump cylinder A is a piston F which isprovided with an enlarged head portion F having a series. of annulargrooves F in which are mounted piston rings F for forming a tight jointaround the head so that when the piston is forced forwardly the airwhichhas entered through the inlet B will be compressed in the end ofthe cylinder and forced outwardly through the check valve into a storagetank. The piston F is provided with a stem portion F which extends intoa bore G formed in the end of a piston rod G, said rod being providedwith a longitudinal slot communicating with said bore and through which'a pin F extends which is carried by the end of the stem F ot'the pistonF so that the piston rod will have a sliding connection with the pistbnas will be hereinafter fully describedffilhe piston rod G carries atubular sleeve member H which telescopes the piston F and fits snuglywithin the cylinder A, said sleeve member being rigidly connected to thepiston rod oriformed integral therewith as may be desired. The stem F ofthe piston F is surrounded by a coil spring I which forms a cushion sothat when the piston rod G is torced forwardly within the cylinder A,the spring will yield in such a manner that the piston will not beoperated witha jerk and as the piston is forced forwardly and the pin Fof the stem F comes into engagement with the ends of the slot the pistonwill be moved so that an air cushion within the end of the cylinder isformed.

Connected to the inner faces of the upper and lower sections of theelliptical spring are clamping members d which are formed of twosections clamped together by a bolt K which extends transversely throughthe re spective sections and clamps the members securely on the leavesof the springs as clearly shown in the sectional view and said bolt isprovided with a collar adjacent one end and has an outwardly projectingstud portion K on which are pivotally mounted toggle links L which areheld in position thereon by nuts or pins as may be desired so that thesame can move freely. The free ends of the toggle arms L are pivotallymounted on a pivot pin carried by the outer section G of the piston rodG, said piston rod being formed of two sections having threaded endswhich are connected together by a turn buckle G as clearly shown so thatthe length of the piston rod can be regulated so as'to adjust the strokeof the piston. It

will be seen that when the elliptical spring is compressed the togglearms will be forced together so as to force the piston rod Gr torwardlywithin the pump cylinder A so as to carry the piston forwardly also inorder that air which has entered the cylinder Qthrough the inlet B willbe forced out through thecheck valve into a suitable storage tank. Asthe piston rod is moved forwardly by the toggle arms the coil springyields to such an extent that when the springs are compressed onlyslightly the piston will not be operated but when the springs arecompressed by the vehicle on which they are arranged passing over an eX-ceedingly rough place in the road the piston will be forced forwardly inthe pump cylinder to such an extent thatan air cushion will be formed'inthe end of the pump cylinder which will gently be relieved by the airpassing out of the same through the check valve into the storage tank.

From the foregoing description, it will be eeaias seen that l haveprovided a combined air pump and air cushion which is especially adaptedto be used in connection with a spring used on automobiles and the like,but it is of course understood that the device canb'e attached tovarious other places.

it will also be seen that the device when ,attached to an automobilewill prevent the 1. In a device of the kind described, the

combination with a spring, of a pump cylfinder connected to the pivotpoint of said spring; a piston mounted in said cylinder; a piston rodconnected with said piston, and

L l toggle arms connected to sald spring having a loose connection tosaid piston rod.

2. In a device of the kind described, the combination with an ellipticspring, of a pump cylinder pivotally connected to the connecting bolt ofsaid spring, a piston mounted in said pump cylinder provided with astem, a piston rod provided with a bore slidably mounted over said stem,said piston rod bein provided with a slot communicating with said bore,the pin carried by said stem extending through said slot, a sleevecarried by said piston rod extending over said piston, a springsurrounding said. stem, and toggle arms pivotally connected to thesections of said spring having their free ends connected to said pistonrod.

3. In a device of the kind described, the combination with an ellipticspring, of a pump cylinder carried by said spring, a check valveconnected to said cylinder, a pipe connected to said check valve, apiston mounted within said cylinder, a sectional piston rod slidablyconnected to said piston, clamping members secured to the sections ofsaid spring and toggle arms pivotally mounted on said clamping membershaving their ends connected to said piston rod.

4. In a device of the kind described, the combination with an ellipticspring, of a cylindercarried by said spring, a piston working in saidcylinder, a piston rod having a sliding connection with said piston, aspring cushion arranged between said piston and piston rod, and togglearms connected to the respective spring sections of said spring havingtheir ends connected to said piston rod. i

5. In a device of the kind described, the combination with an ellipticalspring, of a pump casing provided with an air inlet and having anapertured ear at its closed end adapted to be pivotally connected to theconnecting bolt of said spring, a piston slidably mounted within saidpump cylinder provided'with a "head and having a stem,

a sectional piston rod provided with a bore at one end adapted toreceive said stem, said piston rod being provided with a slotcommunicating with said bore, a pin carried by.

ally mounted upon said studbolts said tog-- gle arms being pivotallyconnected to said piston rod.

6. A combined air pump and air cushion comprising a pump cylinderadapted to be connected to an elliptical spring, said casing beingprovided with a check valve having a pipe connected thereto forconveying air to a storage tank, a piston slidably mounted within saidpump casing, a piston rod slidably connected to said piston, a. springcushion arranged between said piston rod and piston, sectional clampingmembers secured to the spring sections of said spring by transversebolts having stud ends, and toggle arms pivotally mounted upon said endshaving their free ends connected to the outer 'end of said piston rod.

7. In a device of the kind described, the combination with an ellipticalspring, of a pump cylinder pivotally carried by said spring, a pistonmounted within said pump cylinder, a piston rod having a slidingconnection with said piston, clamping members connected to therespective sections of said elliptical spring and toggle arms pivotallyconnected to said clamping members having their free ends pivotallyconnected to said piston rod.

BENJ. W. SMITH.-

Witnessesi Tnos. C. NEAL, M. O. BEBOUT.

